1. Field of the Invention
The present invention, in general relates to animal toys and, more particularly, to devices that a dog can chew and carry in its mouth.
Dog chew toys are well known and include a wide variety of devices, some of which rapidly disintegratexe2x80x94as is well known to most dog owners.
Other dog chew toys are sometimes used in fetching training exercises or simply for play but they may be difficult for the dog to pick up off of the ground. If tossed onto a body of water, they may sink. Furthermore, while a dog may see the toy at night or in dim light, the owner is unable to do so and therefore the toy cannot be used in dim light.
Other variations, such as it being edible or chewable (to relieve the natural tendency dogs have to chew) are also desirable features to incorporate in any dog chew toy design.
It is a natural tendency for dogs to chew and they often make inappropriate selections as to what they will chew. A scented or flavored animal toy that encourages a dog to chew, and possibly to consume it, would be useful.
When training dogs, especially hunting dogs, to fetch or when deciding which dog is especially good for the scent discrimination purpose, it is necessary to asses their ability to detect objects based solely on scent. Therefore an animal toy that is camouflaged would be useful in training and determining a dog""s ability to locate hard to find objects based solely on scent.
Accordingly there exists today a need for an animal toy that floats, is easy to pick up off of the ground, can be seen in dim light, is made from a variety of possible materials, and which dogs may chew.
Clearly, such an apparatus would be a useful and desirable device.
2. Description of Prior Art
Dog toys are, in general, known. For example, the following patents describe various types of these devices:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,830,202 to Garrison, Aug. 20, 1974;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,296 to Smith, Jan. 9, 1979;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,219 to Edwards, Dec. 10, 1985;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,083 to Axelrod, Apr. 24, 1990;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,436 to Axelrod, Nov. 23, 1993;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,256 to Viola, Dec. 14, 1993;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,132 to Meyer, May 16, 1995;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,254 to O""Rourke, Jan. 27, 1998;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,118 to Markham, May 18, 1999;
and the following design patents:
U.S. Des. Pat. No. 319,605 to Jenks, Sep. 3, 1991;
U.S. Des. Pat. No. 327,962 to O""Rourke, Jul. 14, 1992;
U.S. Des. Pat. No. 329,310 to O""Rourke, Sep. 8, 1992;
U.S. Des. Pat. No. 330,614 to O""Rourke, Oct. 27, 1992;
U.S. Des. Pat. No. 330,921 to LaMagna, Nov. 10, 1992;
U.S. Des. Pat. No. 343,930 to Garcia, Feb. 1, 1994;
U.S. Des. Pat. No. 348,959 to Lawson, Jul. 19, 1994;
U.S. Des. Pat. No. 356,879 to O""Rourke, Mar. 28, 1995; and
U.S. Des. Pat. No. 368,932 to Mussalo, Apr. 16, 1996;
While the structural arrangements of the above described devices, at first appearance, have similarities with the present invention, they differ in material respects. These differences, which will be described in more detail hereinafter, are essential for the effective use of the invention and which admit of the advantages that are not available with the prior devices.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an animal toy that a dog may carry in its mouth.
It is also an important object of the invention to provide an animal toy that is easy for a dog to pick up off of the ground.
Another object of the invention is to provide an animal toy that can float.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an animal toy that is visible in the dark.
Still yet another object of the invention is to provide an animal toy that glows in the dark.
Yet another important object of the invention is to provide an animal toy that can be used to teach a dog to fetch on land.
Still yet another important object of the invention is to provide an animal toy that can be used to teach a dog to fetch from the water.
It is a useful object of the invention is to provide an animal toy that is made of a material that a dog may chew.
It is a further useful object of the invention is to provide an animal toy that is made from wood.
It is a still further useful object of the invention is to provide an animal toy that is made from cellulose.
It is another useful object of the invention is to provide an animal toy that includes a cellulose and a binding agent or a resin.
It is a beneficial object of the invention is to provide an animal toy that includes a flavor added thereto.
It is a further beneficial object of the invention is to provide an animal toy that is chewable.
It is a still other beneficial object of the invention is to provide an animal toy that is formed of any desired color.
It is a useful and beneficial object of the invention is to provide an animal toy that resembles in appearance a branch segment.
It is another useful and beneficial object of the invention is to provide an animal toy that includes a textured surface that resembles a bark from a tree.
It is one further useful and beneficial object of the invention is to provide an animal toy that is rigid.
It is still one further useful and beneficial object of the invention is to provide an animal toy that is flexible.
It is still one further useful and beneficial object of the invention is to provide an animal toy that includes at least one break-off segment.
It is still one additional further useful and beneficial object of the invention is to provide an animal toy that includes a camouflage covering or texture surface.
Briefly, an animal toy that is constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention has a straight or curved segment with at least one protrusion extending therefrom that resembles in appearance a branch. The animal toy is of any size and may be either flexible or rigid, floatable, chewable, edible, and the like depending upon the material that it is made from, including plastic, rubber, wood, and wood composites. A flavoring (or scent) may be added to the animal toy to encourage a dog to chew and possibly to consume the animal toy, depending upon what it is made from. Break-away notches are provided, as desired, to permit the animal toy to be broken into smaller segments. A glow in the dark material may be included with the animal toy to make it easier to use in the dark. Conversely, it may include a camouflage covering.